Shelf step for counter cabinets and the like



1957 M. D. M INNES 2,801,894

SHELF STEP FOR COUNTER CABINETS AND THE LIKE.

Filed June 1. 1956 50- 32 INVENTO/Iii 5 C /A H 5 21342/ 9 MA United States Patent 1 2,801,894 SHELF STEP FOR COUNTER CABINETS AND THE LIKE Marie D. Maclnnes, Detroit, Mich. Application June 1, 1956, Serial No. 588,649 2 Claims. (Cl. 312-235) The present invention relates to a foldable step or support, adapted to be a part of a shelf structure of a counter cabinet such as is found in modern kitchens. The invention, summarized briefly, includes confronting, horizontally disposed guide rails attached to the underside of a cabinet shelf, and slidable upon and extending between said guide rails is a platform shiftable between a recessed position within the cabinet, and an extended position in which it projects forwardly, horizontally from the cabinet to provide a support for a user. A leg structure of U-shape is pivoted at the bight part thereof upon the front end of the platform, to swing between a folded position underlying and closely spaced from, the platform, and a use position in which the leg structure extends downwardly from the platform when the platform is extended. Means is provided for automatically biasing the leg structure to extended position, responsive to pullingof the platform outwardly from the cabinet.

Modern kitchens are provided, most usually, with rows of cabinets, and generally, there is a row of cabinets disposed above a kitchen counter, the kitchen counter itself providing the top wall for a bottom row of cabinets. The counter often is of a width such that a person of average height finds it quite difficult to reach the upper shelves of the upper row of cabinets, and accord ingly, it is necessary in the circumstances for one to resort to the use of a step ladder, kitchen step-stool, etc. A supporting device of this type not only may represent, by reason of its continued presence, an obstacle to the most efficient employment of the kitchen facilities, but also, constitutes a hazard in that it may he possessed of a lack of stability, with the result that one may fall from the support and incur painful and even serious inuries.

In view of the above, the main object of the present invention is to provide a foldable supporting device, adapted to be normally recessed in collapsed condition Within one of the kitchen counter cabinets, with said device being formed as briefly summarized above, and being adapted to be swiftly adjusted to a use position, so as to provide ready access to any of the shelves of the top row of cabinets.

Another object is to provide a device of the character described that will be capable of manufacture at low cost, while nevertheless being rugged, sturdy, and pos sessed of a high degree of stability when in use.

Still another object is to so design the collapsible step that it will take up so small an amount of cabinet area, when collapsed and recessed, as to detract to the minimum extent from the storage space available within the counter cabinets.

Still another object is to design the collapsible step in such a manner that it will automatically adjust itself to an unfolded, use position, responsive to its being pulled out of the lower counter cabinet in which it is mounted.

Yet another object is to provide a device of the character stated which will not only be simply designed, but stops 41, struck upwardly out of the material of the lower further, will be characterized by a particular simplicity of installation. To this end, the device 'is so .fashioned as to permit it to be mounted within a counter cabinet of wholly conventional design, as an accessory capable of installation at any time subject to manufacture and full lines in recessed, collapsed ice ther, is so designed as to be capable of installation by the ordinary house holder, without the requirement of special skills and without the expenditure of any more than a relative small amount of time.

Other objects Will appear from the following descfip tion, the claims appended thereto, and from the a1i= nexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view showing a fragmentary portion of a counter installation of a kitchen, showing lower and upper rows of cabinets, one of the devices constituting the invention being shown in extended, use position and another device being shown in recessed, collapsed position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged section on line 2--2 of Figure 1, through the counter cabinets, showing the device in position and in dotted lines in extended, unfolded position;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view through the cabinet structure and the shelf step, on a scale enlarged above that in Figure 2, taken substantially on line 33 ofFigure 2, the dotted lines showing the device in its i all the counter cabinets is a kitchen counter 14 having installation of the "counter cabinets. The device, furat its back edge an upwardly projecting splash Wall 16. The counter cabinets include a plurality of vertical side walls 18, spaced longitudinally of and extending downwardly from top wall 14, a front wall 19 having a plurality of door openings, doors 20 normally closing said openings, a bottom wall 22 for the several cabinets, and lower supporting walls 24 spacing the bottom wall 22 upwardly from the floor F. This is intended to represent, merely, a wholly conventional kitchen counter installation, said installation further including transverse support walls 26 extending between the longitudinal support walls 24, and horizontally extending shelves 28 dividing each cabinet into upper and lower storage com,- partments and lying in a horizontal plane.

The shelf step 30 constituting the present invention is mounted in any selected lower compartment of one of the counter cabinets, and includes horizontally disposed, confronting, oppositely but identically formed, channeled guides 32 secured by wood screws 33 or equivalent fastening elements to side walls 18. Guides 32 are integrally formed at their front ends with upwardly projecting flanges 34 secured (see Figures 3 and 5) to the front edge of shelf 28 by screws 35 or their equivalents.

Lying in a plane paralleling and closely spaced from the underside of shelf 28 is a rectangular platform 36 intcgral at its front end, for its full width, with a depending front end flange 38 the bottom edge of which may be rolled or folded to eliminate sharp edges thereon. A similar rear end flange 40 is integrally formed upon platform 36 (see Figure 2) and when platform 36 is pulled out to its dotted line, use position of Figure 2, the rear end flange 40 will be engaged by upwardly projecting walls of guides 32 adjacent the front ends of the guides, as shown in Figures 2 and 5.

To the underside of platform 36, at the front corners thereof, are secured flat pivot plates 42, by rivets or equivalent fasteners. These are formed with longitudinally and centrally extending slits at their front ends, defining at opposite sides of each slit tongues 44, 46.

- Tongue 44 (Figure is bent downwardly at a location inwardly from the front end of plate 42, and then curvedforwardly in supporting relation to the elongated, straight, transversely extending bight 48 of a supporting leg structure generally designated 49, that includes also legs 50 integral with opposite ends of the bight 48. Bight 48 is engaged rotatably between tongues 44, 46 for swinging movement of legs 50 between folded, full line positions and lower, use positions shown in dotted lines (Figure 2). On the leg structure 49 there is also provideda horizontal cross brace 52 fixedly connected between the intermediate portions of legs 50.

'Inwardly from the front end of platform 36, on the longitudinal median thereof, is a disc-like" button 54 fixedly secured to the underside of platform 36 and extending about the shank of the button is the looped mid length portion of a spring, formed with straight legs 56 diverging forwardly from the button 54 in contact with the underside of platform 36. The spring at thedivergent ends of legs 56 is integrally formed with spring coils 58, merging into outer end portions 60 diverging rearwardly from bight 48 and terminating at their divergent ends in hookslike extensions 61 engaged over legs 50.

The spring is tensioned to normally swing leg structure49 through substantially 90 degrees from its collapsed to its use position. :I Normally, the leg structure is folded'upwardly against theunderside of platform 36, and the freeends of the legs, which are preferably fitted with rubber feet or sleeves 62, ibeanagainst the lower walls of guides 32, being pressed tightly against said lower walls by the tendency of the spring to expand.

be. illustrative of the principles of operation and the means for carrying out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible step for mounting within a cabinet having side walls and a shelf, comprising: a pair of channeled guides extending horizontally and fixedly connectableto therespective side walls in positions opening inwardly toward each other, said guides having open front ends; a platform including a depending front end flange,.depending side flanges, and a depending rear end flange, the side flanges being slidably supported on the bottoms of the guides and the rear end flange extending transversely of the guides; a U-shaped leg structure underlying the platform and comprising'a bight and legs extending from the bight; means hinging the leg structure at the bight thereof to the platform adjacent said front end flange, the legs swinging between collapsed positions in which they extend within the guides and use positions extending downwardly from the platform, said platform being slidable out of the front ends of the guides to free The free ends of the legs terminate, in these circum- 7 50 along the guides 32 so as not to interferewi-th the leg movement. v -s .The device'can now be used, to obtain access to the upper shelves 64 of the top row of cabinets 10..

the legs from the guides for swinging movement to said use position, the legs being shorter than the platform so as to be freed on extension of the platform partially out of the guides; and-stops aligned transversely of the guides and projecting upwardly from the bottoms of the guides toengage the rear end flange and thereby limit movement of the platform out of the guides, said stops being placed to limit said movement of the platform out of the guides immediately following freeing of the legs for downward swinging movement. 2. A collapsible step for mounting within a cabinet having side walls and a shelf, comprising: a pair of channeled guides extending horizontally and fixedly connectable to the respective side walls in positions opening inwardly toward each other, said guides having open -Any number of devices may be employed in the cabinet structure, at selected locations found convenient to the housewife.

When the device is recessed and collapsed, it occupies no more than a wholly inconsequential amount of storage area within the lower cabinet compartment, and since it is mounted on the underside of shelf 28 will generally be occupying no area that would otherwise be employed for storage purposes. Further, during movement of the device between operative and inoperative positions, it does not interfere with stored articles. To return the device to its collapsed, recessed position, one swings leg structure 49 upwardly from its use position, against the restraint of the spring, and after the legs 50 have been positioned for movement into guides 32, platform 36 is pushed inwardly, sliding within guides 32 with the legs 50 held in collapsed position 'by the guides. Another important characteristics of the invention is its adaptability for manufacture as a unitary, preassembled accessory capable of installation against a cabinet shelf that has previously been installed. One need merely secure the guides to the side walls 18 and the shelf 28 to complete the installation.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, said construction only being intended to frontends; a platform including a depending front end flange, depending side flanges, and a depending rear end flange, the side flanges being slidably supported on the bottoms of the guides and the rear end flange extending transversely of the guides; a U-shaped leg structure underlying the platform and comprising a bight and legs extending from the bight; means hinging the leg structure at the bight thereof to the platform adjacent said front end flanges, the legs swinging between collapsed positions in which they extend within the guides and use positions extending downwardly from the platform, said platform being slidable out of the front ends of the guides to free the legs from the guides for swinging movement to said use position, the legs being shorter than the platform so as to be freed on extension of the platform partially out of the guides, said means comprising transversely aligned plates aflixed to the underside of the platform adjacent the front end flange, each of which plates is formed at its front end with a longitudinal slit defining tongues at opposite sides thereof bowed oppositely to receive said bight; and stops aligned transversely of the guides and projecting upwardly from the bottoms of the guides to engage the rear end flange and thereby limit movement of the platform out of the guides, said stops being placed to limit said movementof the platform out of the guides immediately following freeing of'the legs for downward swinging movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 527,108 Cooper Oct. 9, 1894 822,691 Pashley June 5, 1906 1,063,642 Birdsall June 3, 1913 1,441,670 Egner J an. 9, 1923 2,495,374 Horn Ian. 24, 1950 2,555,988 Nelson .4 June 5, 1951 2,690,942 Marcus Oct. 5, 1954 

